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\ i ll l l i l E. RHVIAILHO.

SAFETY PERCUSSION FUSE, INSTANTANEOU'S 0R RETARDED.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.B| I918.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

i F 9 B9 2 i 4 A I l 1 a 45 I 1 K A? I 12 I l i l 1 26 9% I L. 1 U 2s 24! 44 a 1 g //Vl /V7'0/? m/e rs /ma/ /v A fro P/VZVS by the llhl liTliil) @iTATEb l il-tl lilhl k illt ldltllto EMILE RIMAILHO, 0F PtRItS, FRANCE, ASSIGNUR TU COMPAGNIE IDES FOBGES ET ACIERIES DE LA MARINE ET DHO'MECGURT, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

SAFETY PERCUSSION-FUSE, INSTANTANEGUS OR Application filed August 8, 19.13.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE RLMAiLHO, a citizen of the French Republic, and residing in Paris, France, 12 Rue de la Rochefoucauld, consulting engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Safety Percussion-Fuses, Instantaneous or Retarded, of which the fol lowing is a complete specification.

In the fuses which comprise a firing mechanisn'i acting, at the iinpact-point, by forcing back a striking-pin, nobody has heretofore succeeded in realizing simultaneously a light, though long, striking-pin, its perfect connection with the enlarged head receiving the shock at the impact point and its absolute in'lmobilization till the moment when the projectile reaches the target.

The present invention has for its purpose to provide a light striking-pin combined with a security-disk and with centrifugal latches, the combination of said organs producing the novel technical. effects hereinafter referred to.

The security or safety against any accidental shock liable to occur during the transport or handling is obtained by means of a ystem of centrifugal latches which spread apart owing to the rotation generated in every gun or howitzer. The safety against all the actions to which the projectile is submitted inside the gun-bore and along its trajectory is insured by the em 'ployment of an extremely light striking-pin hung and attached to a thin security-diaphragm or disk which holds it back at the instant of firing and is sheared and forced inward by the shock at the impact point.

The instantaneousness is obtained by the quick setting in motion of this light striking-pin, as soon as the buli'er-diaphragm of relatively large area becomes sheared. The

sensi-tiveness, when striking on hard, soft or resisting obstacles, is dependent upon these two factors.-

The effects of the bursting are increased striking-pin formed, for instance, by a steelwire and to the tubular antenna which bears at its end the bufier-disk. This antenna is made of, for instance, aluminium-metal, of the most resisting alloy, and its form gets more and more narrow from the base to the extremity.

A retarding device of variable length is Specification of Letters Patent.

length which may be given to the Patented Dec. St), 1919,

Serial No. 249,005.

interposed at will, between the fulmina'ting primer which is acted upon by the strikingpin and the detonating primer to which the firing is transmitted more or less quickly according to the length of the retarding device. Y

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of examples, various constructional forms of the invention:

Figure l is a vertical section through the axis of an instantaneous fuse without any reti'irding device, the dimensioi is of which have been enlarged in order to facilitate the reading.

Fig. 2 is an external View of the same fuse.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a fuse provided with a retarding device.

Fig. 4: shows a manner of fastening the disk.

In this fuse (Fig. l) l is the fuse-body, of which 2 forms the forward part denominati'zd antenna, and of which 3 form the part entering into the projectile. The antenna, which is made of metal as light and resisting as possible, is more or less long according to the desired working of the fuse, that is to say that the antenna may be short and project scarcely beyond the fuse-hole of the projectile, or be long, as that hown in Fig.

In the projectiles provided with a false ogive made of sheet-metal, said ogive forms an antenna and sustains the striking-pin and the security-dislr which is groovejointed on the open end of the false ogive.

This fuse-body incloses striking-pin made, for instance, of drawn out steel-wire getting more and more thin from the head to the point, strengthened at the head of and at the place of the screw-threads, and the forward end i of which is connected with the security-disk 5, which is, on one hand, clamped, at its central part, between the washers 6 and 7 fastened to the striking-pin, 1

and the edge of which is, on the other hand, groove-jointed at 8 to the forward end of the antenna 2. -he middle part of the striking pin bears a safety-enlargement 9 under which are engaged two centrifugal latches 10 and 11 pushed by the springs 12 and 13 bearing upon the ring 14 which closes the housing of the latches provided into the fuse body.

It is to be noted that the antenna, being shown in Fig. 1, bored along its axis, the bore is provided, between the head 4: and the enlargement 9 of the striking-pin, with a light furring piece 15, so as to maintain the strikingpin and to prevent it from becoming curved. V

The striking-pin may equally be guided by means of a disk integral with said pin and slidable inside the bore of the antenna. The striking-pin may also be maintained by a small nut 1G screwed upon it and bearing against the lower face of the fuse-body, as shown by chain-lines in Fig. 1.

The rearward end 16 of the striking-pin is sharp-pointed to pcrcuss the fulminating prime-r 1'7 located into the primer-holder l8 and clamped by the plug 19, into which is engaged and guided the point of the striking pin 16. This po nt remains spaced from the primer 17 during the transports or handlings and during the firing owing to the presence of the latches 10 and 11 and of the security disk 5.

Below the primer-holder 18 is placed the dctonator 20 inclosed in the detonator-holder 21. The firing of'this detonator may be obtained either directly under the action of the gases of the primer 17, or with the interposition of a retarding device, as in the types of detonators already in use.

When the fuse provided with a retarding device (see Fig. 3) the latter is connected with the fulminating primer by afiring pellet :23, the housing of which is pen forated with vents for the escape of the gases.

The compressed powder, which constitutes the retarding device 22, is perforated with a pretty long bore pointed at its upper part and tapering downward.

F or increasing the gas-tightness, the hole giving passage to the striking-pin into the fuse body below the latches is provided with a screw-thread 26.

The working of the instantaneous fuse mounted on a projectile is the following:

When the projectile is fired from a rifled tube or gun, the centrifugal latches 10 and 11 spread apart from the striking-pin whiie compressing their springs, owing to the action of the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the projectile.

On the other hand, as well in the gun-bore as in the air, the striking-pin is retained in its initial position by the security-disk The travel of the projectile is effected in such conditions, but, when striking against a hard, resisting obstacle, the security disk becomes sheared and forced back by the obstacle, which has the effect of moving the striking-pin rearward and thus cause the percussion of the fulminating primer 1 7, which explodes the ilctonatm' 2U, \vluch, m turn, explodes the charge of the shell.

hen the fuse is provided with a retarding device, the fuhninating primer first fires first the relay-pellet, and the gases therefrom sweep along the upper face of the retarding device and escape through the vents.

When the combustion in the latter reaches the point of the bore, the fire igniting the latter gives a powerful flash against the detonator-priiner.

The instantaneousness of the percussion, which is dependent from the degree of resistance of the obstacle, is facilitated by the small weight of the striking-pin and the relatively large area the security-bufferdisk. At last, the bursting effects of the shell vary according to the length of the antenna and of the retarding devices. It r sults therefrom that by suitably combining the arrangements of a fuse of this kind it is possible to vary the bursting effects of the same projectile.

It is to be observed that the sensitivcness of the fuse may be so considerably increased as to secure the good working against any light obstacle, for instance a stretched cloth, by giving to the securitybuffer-disk a vaulted form, preferably forward, in order that said disk be acted upon by a large area of the cloth, instead of meeting only, as a resistance, the outline of a simple disk.

The disk may be connected to the strikingpin by any suitable means. For instance, the arrangement shown in Fig. elmay be used, in which the striking-pin l" comprises a rotula 27 engaged, with a suitable play, into a housing 28 provided in a knee-washer supported by the buffer-disk 6", the housing 28 being obturated by a washer 30 maintained by the bent flange of the buffer-disk 6". This arrangement, by hinging the strilc ing -.pin on the security disk, obtains agreater yieldingness as well as the relative independence of the striking-pin and of the antenna.

The centrifugal latches may, in some cases, be replaced by a double pin or clip which is withdrawn at the moment of charging the gun by pulling a ribbon or other suitable means.

What I claim is:

1. A safety percussion fuse comprising an antenna at its front part, a light striking pin inside the said antenna consisting of a drawn out steel-wire getting more and more thin from the head to the point, enlarged at the head and at the place of the screw threads, the said striking pin being provided with a safety .organ fastened to the front end of the antenna, an enlargement provided on the rod of the said striking pin, centrifugal latches arranged under the said enlargement, and a detouator provided at the base of the fuse, in the vicinity of the point of the striking pin.

2. A safety percussion fuse comprising an antenna at its front part, a light striking pin, inside antenna, a washer under the head of the striking pin, a security disk, bearing said washer, a washer fastened to, the striking pin and connecting the latter with the security disk, an enlargement provided on the rod of the said striking pin, centrifugal latches arranged under the said enlargement, and a detonator provided at the base of the fuse in the vicinity of the point of the striking pin.

3. A safety percussion fuse comprising an antenna at its front part, a striking pin inside of said antenna, a rotula at the front end of the pin, a housing provided in a kneewasher supported by a security disk fastened to the front end of the antenna, a washer obturating said housing, and maintained by bent edges of the security disk, an enlargement provided on the rod of the striking pin, centrifugal latches arranged under the said enlargement, and a detonator provided at the base of the fuse, in the vicinity of the point of the striking pin.

4. A safety percussion fuse comprising an antenna at its front part, a striking pin inside said antenna a head on the striking pin provided with a safety organ fastened to the front end of the antenna, an enlargement provided on the rod the said striking pin, a housing provided in the antenna below the enlargement .of the striking pin, centrifugal latches with square heads arranged in said housing a clearance between said latches and said striking pin, and a detonator provided at the base of the fuse in the vicinity of the point of the striking pin.

5. A device of the character described comprising a body portion having a longitudinal bore and lateral openings leading into the bore, a tubular antenna carried by the body portion and projecting forwardly beyond same, a firing pin extending longitudinally through the tubular antenna and the bore of the body portion, a security device connecting the forward end of the firing pin and the forward end of the tubular antenna, a safety element secured to the firing pin and arranged near the lateral openings and having a flange which is adapted to be sheared, centrifugal latches arranged w thin the lateral openings, said latches be ng normally arranged inwardly to engage wlth said safety element and adapted to move outwardly to engage with the flange of the safety element to shear the same when the firing pin is moved rearwardly, ylelding means arranged within the lateral openings to oppose the outward movement of the latches, and a detonator arranged wlthln the body portion and disposed rearwardly of the firing pin to be engaged thereby.

6. A device of the character described comprising a body portion having a longitudinal bore and lateral openings leading into the bore, a tubular antenna carried by the body portion and projecting forwardly beyond the same, a firing pin extending longitudinally through the tubular antenna and the bore of the body portion, a security device connecting the forward end of the firing pin and the forward end of the tubular antenna, a safety element secured to the firing pin and arranged near said lateral openings, centrifugal latches mounted to slide within said lateral openings and normally contacting with the safety element, yielding means arranged within said lateral openings to oppose the outward movement of the latches, and a detonator arranged within the body portion and disposed rearwardly of the firing pin to be operated thereby.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Saint-Etienne (France) this twenty-fourth day of June, 1918.

EMILE RIMAILl-IO.

In the presence of two witnesses:

ERNEST DELPIERE, PIERRE PEYRIEUX. 

